Border (End)

Mi retrieved all the arrows. Her bow was small, and so were the arrows—only a third the length of Captain Mustache's arrows. Captain Mustache's bow was enormous. Mi tried to draw it too; it was as big as the bow Red-haired Anne usually used, and taller than Mi when held upright. Several soldiers laughed at her, saying, "Don't think you're invincible just because you're an adventurer. Our captain has the blood of the Earth Bear; he's born with superhuman strength!"

"The Earth Bears?" Mi asked, looking at the height difference between the mustachioed captain and the adorable Krus. "What's your bloodline? How come you're so big!" These soldiers were all tall and strong, each more than a head taller than the mustachioed captain, but their strength was far less than expected. They could draw the small bow Mi used, but their accuracy was much worse. Mi sharpened some branches and wood from the border, which were used for firewood, into many arrows: "Make do with these, at least practice your aim."

At the small border post number 17 on the western border, Mi left behind the bow and arrows he brought from the Misty Forest. Having an extra bow on the border was practically equivalent to having an extra small squad. The small knife Annie had prepared for Mi was eventually fitted entirely onto the wooden arrows; the blades made them much more lethal.

Krus's arm wound was left exposed to the air, but thankfully, the scab healed quickly after applying ointment. Mi had two sets of clothes, and before leaving, she hesitated for a moment before cutting one of her shirts into strips and handing it to Krus: "You should bandage your wound next time."

The water trucks brought not only water, but also various kinds of meat, snacks, clothing, and other supplies. Captain Mustache and his soldiers carried these supplies into the cellar, where Mi then discovered that there was even more food and the Sandman's enormous axe stored inside.

The Shari who attacked last time left behind quite a few axes; some were used to repair the city walls, and two were used as doorposts outside the kitchen. Mira stopped Krus and asked, "What are these axes for?"

“Repair the city wall.” Krus pointed to the uneven city wall. “We can’t find all the broken stones. Without this axe, the city wall will only get lower and lower with each patching. If the wall is less than two meters high, the Sands can step over it in one foot. A city wall that can’t stop the Sands is as good as no wall at all.”

"Aren't you afraid?" Mi knew her special nature; she couldn't die no matter what, and at worst, she could burn a Boundary Leaf to return to the Witch Forest.

“Afraid? Who isn’t afraid?” Krus scratched his head. “But my parents and younger siblings are in the Acropolis. They’re not grown up yet, and the Shari people love to eat children.”

Mi stopped asking. This was more than just a battlefield; death wasn't the end for these soldiers. If they couldn't defend this wall, they would all be served on the dinner table. Mi felt her stomach churn. She had never seen such a cruel war, such heinous crimes. Was this the difference between humans and non-humans?

The water truck stayed at Border Post 17 for three days. The driver spent two days repairing the city wall with the soldiers. On the last day, everyone ate all the delicious snacks and drank all the sweet wine in the supply. The four soldiers fell into a deep sleep after drinking the sweet wine. The mustachioed captain and the driver stood guard on the city wall. It was clear that these soldiers got a day off every time the water truck came.

The coachman chose a fairly good day and took Mi away from Border Post 17. The mustachioed captain sat on the repaired city wall playing his flute, while several soldiers reluctantly saw him off for a long, long way. Krus and Hugh asked Mi to deliver a message to their families and to take the marigold coins back with them. Mi watched as the other two silently accepted the coins.

Mi's travel document was stamped with "Border West 17," and no one had signed it. These few words concealed the harshness of the border environment and the madness of war. Mi followed the water truck to the nearest fortress. The driver was also an active-duty soldier, about the same height as the mustachioed captain, slightly more robust, and without the mustache. He seemed much more reliable than the mustachioed captain. Mi didn't know what the mustachioed captain had said to him, but the driver treated Mi quite well along the way. At night, when they camped out, he even took down the empty cart frame for Mi to use as a bed. He found a patch of grass to let the horse graze, then wrapped his cloak over his head and simply curled up on the grass for the night. Mi thought of the single tent Annie had prepared for her, and then of the roofless little house on the border, and sighed. When Mi left, Captain Mustache still had to rebuild the house. The two big holes in the kitchen roof hadn't been repaired yet, and another wall had been built in the soldier's hut. The roof was barely covered with straw curtains. Captain Mustache's house hadn't had time to be repaired. Fortunately, Captain Mustache now had a tent.

The road from the border to the acropolis was desolate. Although it wasn't as full of sand and gravel as the wasteland, there was more black soil. There were patches of green grass and shrubs every now and then, and occasionally some tall trees. These trees were all solitary, and you could see a lonely tree from a distance. However, there was no human habitation in this desolate wilderness, and the land was left to grow weeds.

“When you get to the Acropolis, you’d better not talk about the Shari people,” the coachman said casually, a blade of grass and a grain of rice dangling from his mouth.

"Why? Is this a military secret?"

“No, that’s not it. When does Weicheng not host the Shali people a few times a year?” The coachman shook his head. “The heads of the Shali people are war merits. I don’t think you need them, so don’t compete with those soldiers who risk their lives to guard the border.”

Remembering Captain Mustache cutting off the Sandman's ear, Mi nodded to indicate she understood. The coachman continued, "You belong to the Adventurers' Guild. If they find out, you'll be entangled in a mess. The Adventurers' Guild has always—" The coachman paused, then continued, "The Adventurers' Guild has always insisted on advancing into the wasteland to wipe out the Sandman's stronghold. If they find out about you, they'll keep bothering you. Captain Liz asked me to remind you that it's best to avoid the Adventurers' Guild in the Acropolis. I'll take you to the City Lord's Mansion to get a stamp and then we'll leave."

"Why can't we wipe out the Sand People?" Mi had no problem with not going to the Adventurers' Guild; her identity couldn't stand up to scrutiny.

"Do you know how big the wasteland is? Do you know how many Sand People there are? Do you know where the Sand People's lair is?" The coachman looked into the distance. "I deliver supplies once a month, half a month on the way here and half a month on the way back. An army marches on its stomach. The Adventurers' Guild consists of lone wolves who bring their own food and gear. How would they know how much an army needs to march into the wasteland?" The coachman spat out the grass in his mouth and changed the subject: "Don't blame them for leaving your things behind. Adventurers' weapons are all from the wasteland. You can't get such good stuff unless you buy them from the Adventurers' Guild at a high price. Even if you could buy them, the entire Seventeenth Border Garrison combined couldn't afford just one."

"You're also part of the Seventeenth Border Depot?" Mi didn't want to discuss the matter further. The equipment had been left behind, so what? She couldn't accept it so readily. She asked, "Why not give them some better equipment? Even one piece of leather armor per person, couldn't you guarantee a supply?"

“I’m also from the No. 17 Border Post. Each border post has a captain and a liaison officer. I’m the liaison officer and also do logistics and supply. The border is windy and sandy, and the losses are rapid. The supplies can’t keep up. But—” The driver pointed to the box he brought back: “This time we can equip them all. Border equipment is also obtained through battle merits.”

"Is the border post always this dangerous? Or is this border post special?"

"It's pretty much the same everywhere. There are Shali here, and the snowy region is even more complicated. Each border post has four soldiers. If someone goes back and disappears, I have to come back and report to my superiors to replace them. Captain Liz is capable; I haven't changed my comrades in three years." The coachman chuckled and added, "Border post number eighteen next door just fell last month. The Shali fought their way all the way to the eighteenth garrison, and it took several hundred casualties to stop their advance."

Listening to the driver's words, Mi realized that the Captain Liz he was referring to was the mustachioed captain. During his time at the border post, Mi had only heard soldiers call him "captain," but he didn't know his real name. "Is Border Post No. 18 far from here?" Mi wondered, recalling his journey and not having seen any other entrances. He didn't know which side of No. 17 Border Post No. 18 was on.

“Over there—” the driver pointed to the right rear, “It’s quite far away. With so many people lost each time, where would we find more manpower to open up the border posts? Besides, the border posts can’t stop the Shali people’s advance; they’re just another line of defense.”

"What about the people from the No. 18 border post?" Mi thought of the tall, thin man she met that night, who wore black leather armor, a straw hat to cover his face, and spoke the language of the Flower Country.

"They're gone, aren't they?" The driver's voice was slightly low.

"Can't they escape?"

“No battlefield can tolerate deserters,” the coachman said after looking into the distance for a while. “Even if they run, where can they run to? Their families are in the citadel. If they desert, they will implicate their entire families.”

"What if we flee to the wasteland?"

"The wasteland is even more dangerous. You come from the wasteland. It's not just the Sand People who eat people there. Ordinary people can't survive in the wasteland because they lack food and clothing."

Mi fell silent, a pang of regret that he hadn't shared some food with the others that day. He looked at the road leading from the border post to the fortress; aside from some wild grass, it was almost entirely wasteland, barely more green than barren land. "How did you know the Sand People were coming?"

“I don’t know. The Shali people have breached the border post, so no one knows the news. Here—” the driver pointed to the empty plains, “no one lives here, and no one can live here. Everyone lives in the citadel.”

How far in advance could the Acropolis know of the Shari's arrival?

“One or two days, the citadel has watchtowers and observation devices,” the coachman gestured. “Although the Shari are fast, they don’t hide their movements and make a lot of noise, so they can be seen from a distance. The citadel has better defenses and more manpower, so the Shari who enter the citadel won’t gain much advantage.”

"Why not build more watchtowers?"

The coachman gave Mi a strange look: "Even watchtowers need guards. If they can't stop the Shali, having more watchtowers is just sending them to their deaths." Mi felt ashamed; the Shali's fighting power was not something ordinary people could withstand.

"Actually, the city lord did propose to the Adventurers' Guild that as long as the Adventurers' Guild provides personnel, the city lord's mansion will send people to build the watchtower and deliver supplies," the coachman said indifferently. "But apart from a few old, weak, and disabled people left behind, the rest of the Adventurers' Guild members in the city have all run into the wasteland. Can they still be called adventurers if they don't go out adventuring?" The coachman concealed his inner grumbling—you're still going to Sun City, and to prevent the Adventurers' Guild from keeping you there, I have to take you around them and find someone to stamp your passport for passage. Mi turned her head and didn't ask any more questions. Soldiers are always worthy of respect. They are the ones who protect their homes and country, and they are the ones who shed their blood and sacrifice their lives. The peace and stability of ordinary people are built on the shoulders of these people who endure the wind and sand on the border day after day.